Review: Look Outside Presents a Fun, Spooky Challenge

Something’s out in the sky, and it’s turning everybody into monsters. That’s the premise behind Devolver Digital and Francis Coulombe’s Look Outside. The game plunges you into the dark by default and boasts a wonderfully spooky atmosphere that never lets up. If you’re a fan of eldritch horror, it’s certainly one to check out. In Look Outside, you play as Sam, a queasy-looking man who lives alone in a spacious, but ill-furnished, apartment. Soon after you wake up, you feel the urge to look outside your window. But before you can obey, you meet your neighbor Sybil. She mostly appears as a disconcerting eye peeking in through your walls. You learn from her that something is happening, and that it’ll all blow over in 15 days. Those who looked at the sky, however, transformed into monsters beyond human comprehension. And yes, they’re all roaming around the building that Sam has to walk around in. Screenshots by Siliconera Aside from gathering food and resources, Sam also has to fight the eldritch monsters roaming around the complex. Not all the monsters are completely hostile, and there’s still room to communicate with them. Astronomers who seem to understand what’s going on are also in the building, and Sam can aid them in getting to the bottom of the mystery. He doesn’t have to fight alone, either. By accepting and helping fellow survivors, as well as letting them crash at his apartment, he can gain some really useful and powerful party members to help him navigate the new world he lives in. Look Outside was an indie game that developer Francis Coulombe uploaded onto Itch.io. Coulombe is a game artist, developer, and animator based in Canada who previously contributed pixel art for games like Katana Zero. The version of Look Outside that’s on Itch.io is almost like the demo of the game. The full Version 1.0 build of the game has a lot more content to play through. For better or for worse, Look Outside plays like a standard turn-based RPG. You give each character a command in battle, as well as craft items to use in battle or on the field. Sometimes you might damage your weapon, which will cause them to deal less damage until they irrevocably break after a few more uses. It doesn’t introduce any particularly unique mechanics, but it does what it has very effectively. At times, it can get really frustrating, such as when one monster essentially stunlocked my entire party by freezing them until they died. But it’s not impossible, as you can gain valuable experience from fighting the monsters. Screenshot by Siliconera Outside of combat is where Look Outside shines a lot more. You don’t always have to go and explore the dangerous halls of your apartment complex. Sam can also stay at home to play video games, cook, check out social media, and more. Video games help to teach important skills, so it’s always a good idea to get some time in before he has to go to sleep. Basic hygiene lowers the possibility of enemies catching him, which means you have to help him wash up every day. I really liked these moments of upkeep, since the monotonous daily routine contradicted well against the obviously abnormal circumstances. The game also has quite a few points where your choices matter in that they look you into a certain story path. But these moments are so subtle that I didn't even know when I triggered one until the consequences hit me. And since I couldn't save-scum with Sybil unless I'd been in danger first, going back to a previous save wasn't always an option either. It's unfortunate that I could only get through one playthrough for my review, because I would've loved to see how certain events around the apartment would've gone if I'd chosen another option. The atmosphere of the game is immaculate. It’s dark, putrid-looking, and quiet. So it’s extra frightening when a sudden scream chore rings out or I hear some ghoulish moan sound from behind me. Look Outside does a great job with the Lovecraftian horror vibes, so when I got jump scares in the beginning, I was quite surprised. Thankfully, it doesn’t employ them for long. Screenshot by Siliconera That being said, there’s still quite a bit of body horror in this. If I have to be specific, I’d say it’s closer to facial horror. There’s a lot of facial action going on when it comes to messed up faces. The pixel art looks really nice and the game screen is big enough that if you’re uncomfortable with this kind of content, you should play something else. With an awesome setting and artwork, interesting characters, and a spooky yet intriguing story, I really enjoyed Look Outside and look forward to playing it again to check out other endings. It’s got a lot of charm, and I love the setting. If you’re interested in the story, and you don’t really want to play a survival horror RPG with an emphasis on resource management, the game also offers an easier mode that takes away a lot of the stress. Just make sure if you play, you check out what’s

Mar 21, 2025 - 22:01

Review: Look Outside Presents a Fun, Spooky Challenge

Something’s out in the sky, and it’s turning everybody into monsters. That’s the premise behind Devolver Digital and Francis Coulombe’s Look Outside. The game plunges you into the dark by default and boasts a wonderfully spooky atmosphere that never lets up. If you’re a fan of eldritch horror, it’s certainly one to check out.

In Look Outside, you play as Sam, a queasy-looking man who lives alone in a spacious, but ill-furnished, apartment. Soon after you wake up, you feel the urge to look outside your window. But before you can obey, you meet your neighbor Sybil. She mostly appears as a disconcerting eye peeking in through your walls. You learn from her that something is happening, and that it’ll all blow over in 15 days. Those who looked at the sky, however, transformed into monsters beyond human comprehension. And yes, they’re all roaming around the building that Sam has to walk around in.

look outside combat 1 — Screenshots by Siliconera

look outside combat 2 — Screenshots by Siliconera

Aside from gathering food and resources, Sam also has to fight the eldritch monsters roaming around the complex. Not all the monsters are completely hostile, and there’s still room to communicate with them. Astronomers who seem to understand what’s going on are also in the building, and Sam can aid them in getting to the bottom of the mystery. He doesn’t have to fight alone, either. By accepting and helping fellow survivors, as well as letting them crash at his apartment, he can gain some really useful and powerful party members to help him navigate the new world he lives in.

Look Outside was an indie game that developer Francis Coulombe uploaded onto Itch.io. Coulombe is a game artist, developer, and animator based in Canada who previously contributed pixel art for games like Katana Zero. The version of Look Outside that’s on Itch.io is almost like the demo of the game. The full Version 1.0 build of the game has a lot more content to play through.

For better or for worse, Look Outside plays like a standard turn-based RPG. You give each character a command in battle, as well as craft items to use in battle or on the field. Sometimes you might damage your weapon, which will cause them to deal less damage until they irrevocably break after a few more uses. It doesn’t introduce any particularly unique mechanics, but it does what it has very effectively. At times, it can get really frustrating, such as when one monster essentially stunlocked my entire party by freezing them until they died. But it’s not impossible, as you can gain valuable experience from fighting the monsters.

Outside of combat is where Look Outside shines a lot more. You don’t always have to go and explore the dangerous halls of your apartment complex. Sam can also stay at home to play video games, cook, check out social media, and more. Video games help to teach important skills, so it’s always a good idea to get some time in before he has to go to sleep. Basic hygiene lowers the possibility of enemies catching him, which means you have to help him wash up every day. I really liked these moments of upkeep, since the monotonous daily routine contradicted well against the obviously abnormal circumstances.

The game also has quite a few points where your choices matter in that they look you into a certain story path. But these moments are so subtle that I didn't even know when I triggered one until the consequences hit me. And since I couldn't save-scum with Sybil unless I'd been in danger first, going back to a previous save wasn't always an option either. It's unfortunate that I could only get through one playthrough for my review, because I would've loved to see how certain events around the apartment would've gone if I'd chosen another option.

The atmosphere of the game is immaculate. It’s dark, putrid-looking, and quiet. So it’s extra frightening when a sudden scream chore rings out or I hear some ghoulish moan sound from behind me. Look Outside does a great job with the Lovecraftian horror vibes, so when I got jump scares in the beginning, I was quite surprised. Thankfully, it doesn’t employ them for long.

look outside 3 — Screenshot by Siliconera

That being said, there’s still quite a bit of body horror in this. If I have to be specific, I’d say it’s closer to facial horror. There’s a lot of facial action going on when it comes to messed up faces. The pixel art looks really nice and the game screen is big enough that if you’re uncomfortable with this kind of content, you should play something else.

With an awesome setting and artwork, interesting characters, and a spooky yet intriguing story, I really enjoyed Look Outside and look forward to playing it again to check out other endings. It’s got a lot of charm, and I love the setting. If you’re interested in the story, and you don’t really want to play a survival horror RPG with an emphasis on resource management, the game also offers an easier mode that takes away a lot of the stress. Just make sure if you play, you check out what’s outside the window. You’ll see something beautiful!

Look Outside is available on Windows PCs.

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